I worked for ten years in a small casino, and I saw more than one roulette system. I even saw one that worked consistently (more on that later). But the fact that the others didn't always work doesn't mean they are without value. After all, if they can send you home a winner more often, or make the game more interesting, that's worth something.

One particular scheme was based on the martingale betting system, in which you double your bet each time you lose, and go back to your original bet as soon as you win. It is used at the blackjack tables quite often, but there is a flaw in it that shows up quickly there. The table limits are designed so that you can only do a series of about five or six bets before you can't double again. Thus, on a table with a $5 minimum and $100 maximum bet, your bets would look like this (if you kept losing and doubling): $5, $10, $20, $40, $80. If you lose six hands in a row - a common occurrence - you can't double up to cover the losses from the previous bets.

Each win gains you the amount of your original bet. For example, after four losses, you have invested a total of $75 ($5 + $10 + $20 + $40), and your $80 covers that plus $5. So in this example you sit there and win $5 for each series of bets. Then, when you lose six hands in a row you lose a total of $155, and you can't double again to win back those losses.

What makes this better as a roulette system is that you can fit more bets into each series if you know how. Suppose the table has limits of $1 to $100 on the "outside" or "even money" bets and $25 on the "straight up" bets - where you bet directly on a number. Normally this upper limit applies to each bet, not the total of your bets on the table. This is important, by $25 on each red number and $100 on the "red" space, you can effectively bet from $1 to $550 on red.

That might need an explanation. Numbers pay 35-to-1, so if you lay a dollar on each red number and one comes up, you lose $17 on the losing ones and win $35 on the winning one (there are 18 red numbers). The net result is the same as if you had placed the $18 on the red space and won even money. Because you can get from $1 to $550 bet on red, you can have up to 10 bets in a series: $1, $2, $4, $8, $16, $32, $64, $128, $256, $512.

Now, when I ran the roulette table, I often went all day without eleven spins in which a red number didn't come up. As a result, I sometimes saw those who played this strategy go home with hundreds of dollars in winnings. Of course, they were only winning $1 per series of bets, which meant they had to stick around a while to make much. And, of course, if they kept coming back they would eventually hit that unlucky streak where twelve spins in a row went against them. They lost $1,023 in that case - so you better have the stomach for this.

Betting gets a bit confusing too, since you have to properly combine your "inside" and "outside" bets. For example, if you are at step 9 in your series, you need to bet $256. To do it right, you need an equal amount on each red number, and the balance on the "outside" red betting space. In this case that means $14 on each red number (18 x $14 = $252) and $4 on red. Notes or practice are a good idea.

To bet this way, you start with your first several wagers in the series on the "red" space ($0.50, $1, $2, $4, $8, $16). Once the $25 limit prevents going further there, you put an even amount on each red number and then the rest on red. For example, for a $32 bet, you put a dollar on each of the 18 red numbers and place the other $14 on the red space. For a $256 bet you put $14 on each red number and $4 on the red space. You might need to practice this or have notes with you.

Want to win faster? Increase the win-per-series by changing the bets slightly. Skip the second bet, for example, so they go $1, $4, $8, $16, $32, $64, $128, $256, $512. That means you only get nine bets, increasing the risk of hitting a losing streak that wipes you out. But it also means that you often are winning $3 on a series instead of $1.

This is a way to have fun, and a few more winning sessions. As long as you leave before you get that eleven in a row against you, you will be ahead. Play long enough, though, and you'll finally hit that ten or eleven in a row that go against you and wipe out several day's profits.

One roulette system has nothing to do with doubling or even changing your wagers. It worked consistently for the one man I witnessed using it , and he played it for over a year. But that is another story.

Copyright Steve Gillman. Get the exact details of that winning Roultette System in "You Aren't Supposed To Know - A Book Of Secrets," and subscribe to a free "secrets" course, at: http://www.TheSecretInformationSite.com